dope sheet

1. A racing publication that provides detailed information on racehorses and their jockeys to prospective gamblers. Also known as a "scratch sheet." I quit gambling five years ago, but I still like to look over the dope sheets at the race tracks just to feel a bit of that rush again. How am I supposed to place my bets without first seeing a dope sheet? A: "I've never been to a horse race before. What's a dope sheet?" B: "Something you'll need if you want to bet."

2. A document summarizing important details and background information regarding a specific person, activity, situation, or any other subject. The sergeant handed out the suspect's dope sheet at the meeting this morning, so each officer had a good idea who they were looking for. The journalist always created a dope sheet for herself about any story she was planning to cover. Because I had studied the dope sheet so thoroughly, I was able to immediately pick out the suspect in the coffee shop.

3. A set of running instructions provided by an animator to photographers and editors as to how a particular animation should be filmed. Also known as an "exposure sheet." The animator's dope sheet was so convoluted and complex that we really had no idea what way he wanted the animation to appear on screen. You've seen the dope sheet? OK, then what are you thinking for camera angles? I gave them a dope sheet, so I don't know why they filmed the animation like that—it's not what I asked for.